Burger King's Have It Your Way Foundation offers $1,000 college scholarships to high school seniors in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico who participate in co-curricular or volunteer activities (such as athletics or community service) and maintain their grades while working at least 15 hours a week.

Prize: $1000

Eligibility: Current high school seniors with a minimum GPA of 2.5 (out of 4.0) who work part-time and demonstrate community or extracurricular involvement and who plan to enroll in an accredited college or university the following fall.

Deadline: February 2, 2009

Required Materials: Completed online scholarship application, found on the Burger King website.

Further details about the application process can be found by conducting a free college scholarship search on Scholarships.com. Once the search is completed, students eligible for this scholarship award will find it in their search results.

And don't forget, you should pay for your college education with as much free money as possible! Find as many scholarships and grants as you can before turning to student loans. Visit the Scholarships.com free college scholarship search today where you'll get matched with countless scholarships and grants for which you qualify, then apply and win! It’s that easy!

Online courses can benefit students in multiple ways, most notably by saving students living off-campus the cost of commuting and giving them a more flexible schedule so they can more easily juggle work and family commitments in addition to coursework. Additionally, in the cold Minnesota winters, being able to attend class from the comfort of your home is a definite plus (though still having class on those rare snow days could also be seen as a drawback). While online learning requires students to be more self-motivated than those in traditional classes, more and more students are finding such courses appealing.

Online degree programs are gaining popularity across the country. A recent study revealed that over 20 percent of American college students took at least one online course in 2007 and that distance learning enrollment continues to increase. A number of colleges and universities are interested in increasing their online course offerings, and the MnSCU system hopes to beat them to the punch.

And don't forget, you should pay for your college education with as much free money as possible! Find as many scholarships and grants as you can before turning to student loans. Visit the Scholarships.com free college scholarship search today where you'll get matched with countless scholarships and grants for which you qualify, then apply and win! It’s that easy!

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Amid news of tightening budgets and declining endowments, several colleges and universities are putting a greater focus on shoring up financial aid programs and helping their students find money for college. While reports of hiring freezes and halted construction plans has come from numerous institutions, keeping students in school has remained a priority.

Going to college doesn't have to break the bank or saddle you with tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt. Check out the Scholarships.com free college scholarship search where you’ll discover you qualify for hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships in just a few minutes, then apply and win! It’s that easy!

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A struggling economy, shrinking endowments, turmoil in the student loan marketplace, and state budget cuts have all raised questions about students' continued ability to pay for school. However, despite economic troubles, at least one state has plans to launch a new program to help its students find money for college in the form of low-interest student loans.

Connecticut students will soon have one more source of student financial aid, thanks to a new partnership between the state and its credit unions. The loan program, announced yesterday by the governor's office, would provide up to $17.5 million in student loans for college students from Connecticut and students attending college in the state.

Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell met with officials from the state's credit unions on Tuesday to discuss the partnership. Under the proposed college loan program, students would borrow directly from the credit unions at interest rates of 5.75 or 6 percent. Each credit union would be required to offer at least $100,000 in student loans to participate in the program. The loans are designed to help families who don't have access to sufficient amounts of financial aid, such as federal Stafford loans, to cover their tuition bills. The governor's press release did not make mention of borrowing limits or requirements.

Going to college doesn't have to break the bank or saddle you with tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt. Check out the Scholarships.com free college scholarship search where you’ll discover you qualify for hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships in just a few minutes, then apply and win! It’s that easy!

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Are you considering a career in public service, such as working for the government or a non-profit organization, but more than slightly overwhelmed by the thought of repaying your student loans with an often minuscule salary? Realizing that you may actually be taking a pay cut to transition from your summer job to your "grown up" career can be demoralizing, and dealing with debt on top of that certainly doesn't help. While many noble individuals certainly make this sacrifice, perhaps you were hoping to forget where the grocery store kept its "manager's special" items after you graduated. And who can blame you? The college budget diet, and the accompanying lifestyle of cramming half a dozen people into one run-down apartment, eventually does get old. Luckily, there are forms of financial aid out there to minimize or relieve your debt and help you stretch that public servant salary a little further.

Some of the most well-known career-based assistance programs are designed for teachers. The TEACH grant contributes $4000 a year towards the tuition of students who agree to teach a high-need subject at a low-income school for four years. Other programs such as Teach for America offer teaching certification, a stipend, and assistance with student loan repayment to individuals agreeing to teach in certain schools.

Teachers and other public servants can also qualify to have their Federal Perkins Loans canceled, saving up to $16,000. Nursing students and other medical students can get in on this program, as well. The federal government also launched a public service loan repayment program a year ago that will forgive qualifying federal student loan debt for those who commit ten years to public service. In addition, a variety of government scholarships provide incentives for students in various majors to consider federal work.

An article appearing in USA Todaythis week also mentions some university-specific programs to help steer students towards public service careers. Harvard Law School will waive tuition for one year for students who commit to five years in government or non-profit fields, and Princeton University will provide free master's degrees to eight 2008 graduates who first put in two years in federal jobs. Tufts University is also helping its undergraduate students pay down debt or pursue graduate degrees if they commit a few years to public service work.

And don't forget, you should pay for your college education with as much free money as possible! Find as many scholarships and grants as you can before turning to student loans. Visit the Scholarships.com free college scholarship search today where you'll get matched with countless scholarships and grants for which you qualify, then apply and win! It’s that easy!

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Are you a college student? Do you have a blog? Are you concerned about your credit or the dangers of identity theft? Do you want to win $2,000? If so, this week's Scholarship of the Week is for you. The SPENDonLIFE Credit Blogging Scholarship offers a $2,000 college scholarship to a student blogger who posts an entry on his or her blog about either credit or identity theft before December 1.

Blog entries should be original, interesting, and informative, using your creativity and research skills to address a topic within the broad categories of identity theft and credit. Entries should be 400 words or less and should also inform readers of the contest and how they can participate.

Prize: $2000

Eligibility: Students aged 18 or over currently attending college full-time or part-time at an accredited college or university

Deadline: December 1, 2008

Required Materials: Completed online scholarship application, found on the SPENDonLIFE contest website. Be sure to provide a link to your blog entry about credit or identity theft.

Further details about the application process can be found by conducting a free college scholarship search on Scholarships.com. Once the search is completed, students eligible for this scholarship award will find it in their search results.

Going to college doesn't have to break the bank or saddle you with tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt. Check out the Scholarships.com free college scholarship search where you’ll discover you qualify for hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships in just a few minutes, then apply and win! It’s that easy!

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For many high school students, graduation cannot come soon enough. While admittedly, I was something of a nerd, going off to college was the single most anticipated event of my young life. I couldn't wait for the academic challenges, the new people, and the more serious learning environment. If someone came up to me when I was 16 and offered me the chance to start community college then, I would have definitely taken it. So I am definitely a little jealous of students in New Hampshire who may soon get that chance.

New Hampshire is one of three states that have agreed to implement some of the policies outlined by the National Center on Education and the Economy's New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce. The commission released a report in 2006 calling for sweeping educational reforms to address America's slipping international standing in several measures of educational success and workforce preparation. Utah and Massachusetts will also implement measures recommended to boost the performance of public schools, including raising teacher pay, giving teachers greater (in some cases, complete) control over schools, implementing more dynamic proficiency tests that provide a more accurate picture of students' abilities, and better monitoring and assisting students at risk of dropping out. The policy New Hampshire is proposing will allow students the option of taking a test after 10th grade and either entering a community college or a college preparatory track if they pass, letting them prepare for college and gain college credits while still living at home, and keeping them from getting bored or coasting through the last two years of high school.

These are only a few of the suggestions found in the commission's report. While there is some skepticism over how much change will actually take place, many states and schools are showing an eagerness for change. It's hoped that innovations in education will help make more students better prepared for attending college and entering the workforce.

And don't forget, you should pay for your college education with as much free money as possible! Find as many scholarships and grants as you can before turning to student loans. Visit the Scholarships.com free college scholarship search today where you'll get matched with countless scholarships and grants for which you qualify, then apply and win! It’s that easy!

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Enrollment in online courses continued to increase in 2007, according to a new study. Nearly 4 million college students, over 20 percent of the total number of students attending college, took at least one online course in fall 2007, an increase of 12.9 percent over the previous year. With all of the financial turmoil that 2008 has brought, the number of online students is likely to continue to increase, as online enrollment is seen as a cost-effective alternative to having to be on campus for class.

The majority of colleges and universities regard offering online courses or online degree programs as critical to their long-term goals. Schools also reported a need to compete for online students. Since physical proximity isn't a concern, students can take online classes through any school, meaning institutions need to do more to attract students to their distance-learning programs.

Some of this competition comes in the form of innovation. After universities in Canada and Japan made online course material accessible via cell phones last year, Louisana's community colleges followed suit, unveiling a plan this week to centralize their distance learning programs on one website, allowing students to access and complete materials from any device with an internet connection.

As distance learning programs continue to become more popular among students and a greater priority among schools, budget-conscious students may want to look closely at taking some or all classes online. Online courses allow greater flexibility for scheduling around employment or other obligations, save on commuting costs (and the money students spend gulping down cafeteria food, fast food, and expensive coffee while rushing between classes), and allow students to live where they want without worrying about having to get to school each day. All of these things make it easier for you to pay your way through school as a distance learning student. While online classes do require greater self-discipline and are offered in more limited quantities than in-person classes, they are still an option to consider when choosing a college.

Going to college doesn't have to break the bank or saddle you with tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt. Check out the Scholarships.com free college scholarship search where you’ll discover you qualify for hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships in just a few minutes, then apply and win! It’s that easy!

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Colleges are continuing to face financial hardships due to the current global economic crisis. Endowments have shrunken by an average of 30 percent this year, primarily in the last two months. Numerous colleges and universities, both public and private, are cutting or freezing spending, and several institutions have been forced to implement hiring freezes, offer early retirement to employees, or lay off employees. Even Harvard University has announced a more conservative approach to future spending. An article appearing in the New York Times earlier this week shows some schools considering a move away from entirely need-blind admissions policies (which ignore students' ability to pay when determining who to admit) in order to ensure they receive enough tuition revenue to maintain their financial aid programs.

Meanwhile, families are in similarly rough shape. Investments are in trouble, unemployment is up, and families are having trouble getting home equity loans or other lines of credit that they may have previously used to cover tuition. 529 plans have taken a hit, as well, and student loans have also tightened credit requirements. All this means that students might face greater difficulty getting into and paying for school.

Despite financial difficulties, colleges are pledging to maintain or increase their spending on campus-based aid for their students.

The Department of Education is planning to present its vision for simplifying and improving the federal student financial aid program. One of the most notable aspects of the new plan is the proposal to shorten the FAFSA on the Web application. Greater efforts to standardize federal aid among colleges are also being proposed.

A new study indicates that what you get out of a college experience might be less dependent on where you go to college than on how you choose to approach your education. Researchers found more variance among learning outcomes and student satisfaction within institutions than among them. In fact, 90% of the difference in quality reported by students occurs among individual students attending college on the same campus. So if you do find yourself having to take a pass on your dream college, a positive attitude can make your experience at your safety school just as rewarding.

Going to college doesn't have to break the bank or saddle you with tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt. Check out the Scholarships.com free college scholarship search where you’ll discover you qualify for hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships in just a few minutes, then apply and win! It’s that easy!

Going to college doesn't have to break the bank or saddle you with tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt. Check out the Scholarships.com free college scholarship search where you’ll discover you qualify for hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships in just a few minutes, then apply and win! It’s that easy!